Buried
by RealRainbowRapidash
Summary: Rhett and Link fanfic. Will not give anything away here, just know that this is basically me just fulfilling my fangirl fantasies. Link suffers heartbreak, and Rhett is the only one he trusts to put him back together. Rating is subject to change, wink wink.
1. Fallen

**I know. I'm awful. I PROMISE I'll finish one of my fanfics someday!**

**But this time: it's a YouTuber fanfic. Rhett and Link, prepare for a fangirl to take control of your lives.**

* * *

For the past month, in front of the cameras at the very least, Link was able to laugh halfheartedly and smile at the camera while Rhett did most of the talking. But today, to the surprise of everyone including himself, Link had burst into tears halfway through recording Good Mythical Morning. It came seemingly out of nowhere, right in the middle of Rhett's sentence, and the blond had only had time to rest on arm on his friend's shoulder before the shorter man had abandoned the set completely. Rhett had had to keep the show going on without him, explaining nothing to the audience, and swearing under his breath. They didn't usually edit the show in any major way, but there was a first time for everything, it seemed.

All he'd waned to do was abandon the set as well and run after his best friend, but the rest of the crew quietly shook their heads, urging him to keep going. But all Rhett could think of was Link, mouth quivering and tears running down his face, knocking his chair backward as he run out of the studio with a loud and final slam of the doors. The final skit from the Wheel of Mythicality was very awkward, with no Link there to perform it with, and despite protests from the crew, Rhett had cut the cameras then and there and skipped over Good Mythical More entirely.

The whole drive home, Rhett had dialed and redialed Link's cellphone, and after 10 missed calls, he had turned sharply left-prompting several angry honks behind him-onto the road to Link's house. He'd barely parked the car, and hadn't even parked it properly, when he'd leaped out and started pounding at Link's front door.

"Link!" he'd yelled, his booming voice shaking. "Open the door, man! I'm worried about you!" No response. He'd waited, hands twitching, for Link to open the door or at least yell at him to go away. But when no such response, no matter how hurtful, was forthcoming, Rhett had gotten angry. "Link, I know you're hurting right now, man, but it's not the end of the world, okay? I'm sorry about you and Christy, but I'm here for you! I'm here, right now, and I just want you to open the damn door!" As he said it, he'd started to pound on the door again.

He was immediately sorry for coming off as more annoyed than anything, but the only other option was to burst into tears, and he needed to be strong for his best friend. How, he wondered, do you comfort a man whose wife had divorced him and taken off with their kids? Rhett knew that this total separation wouldn't last forever, that he'd see the kids again soon enough, but Link couldn't see that. All he could see was the emptiness of his children's rooms, feel the emptiness of the bed meant for two, and sit quietly in the silence of a once loud, bustling, broken home.

Rhett's own wife had talked at great length to Christy on the phone, and he'd been so tempted to prod his wife for details. For what, he didn't know. Maybe he just wanted to hear that Christy had at least had one good reason to break the heart of his best friend of 30 years. But the only thing Jessie had been willing to share with him was that "Christy was tired." Of marriage? Of Link? Of their life together? The vagueness and seeming selfishness of the answer had angered Rhett so much that he'd stormed out of the room and hadn't talked to Jessie for an hour, though he knew in his heart that it wasn't her fault.

He appreciated his wife's understanding as to why she'd had to take a backseat for a while; no matter how much Rhett loved her, Link had been a part of his life for too long to go through this alone. She pretended not to care that Rhett had spent more nights this month at Link's than at home with her and the kids. Once or twice, she'd almost said something, but the thought of Link, poor, dorky, lovable Link spending his nights alone and broken had stopped her.

The thought of Link's face as Christy broke the news to him and as he'd waved a quivery smiled goodbye to his kids, brought tears to Rhett's face, though he failed to notice. He loved Link dearly, and seeing his best friend deteriorate before his eyes had taken a toll on him as well. His own kids were none the wiser, but Jessie had gone to sleep nearly suffocated by Rhett's embrace, and his lovemaking had been more gruff, almost desperate, as if trying to convey that now he was afraid he'd lose his wife as well. In addition to that, his own usual enthusiasm and jocular attitude on GMM had fragmented as well, and as at last Link raised his head from the floor he was lying on, hundreds of YouTube comments flashed through both their minds.

"_Is something wrong with Link? He seems pretty down." "Really weak episode today. You guys need to get it together." "Wow, is it just me, or has GMM gone downhill this month?" "Unsubbed. You guys aren't any fun anymore."_

It's not our fault! Rhett thought with an exhausted resentment. My best friend's just gotten divorced and I can't even do anything to help him. It's been a month and he's still as sad as the moment he told me he was an ex-husband and his wife and kids were leaving house. It's not easy to have list shows and experiments when one of the most important people in your life is on the verge of-

No. He refused to think about it. Nothing was going to happen to Link on his watch. He hadn't been friends with Link for more than 30 years just to lose him this way.

As the loud bangs on the door gradually faded, Link wiped the dried tears from his cheeks and fumbled to clean his glasses on his shirt. He looked and felt pathetic, a grown man curled up on the ground, weeping softly and refusing to let his best friend help him. But what could he say, really? He didn't want help; he wanted to be alone. He didn't trust his voice, and it would hurt the both of them if he yelled at Rhett to leave, so he retreated to his only defense and offense: silence.

Finally, rubbing the tears from his eyes, Rhett turned on his heel and walked back to his car, feeling like a failure, and tried to tell himself that he'd done his best. At least, he thought, it's the weekend. He had two days ahead of him to try and put his friend back together again. He doubted it would work; he'd spent a little over a month already and hadn't gotten anywhere.

He'd just touched the handle of his car when he heard another door swing open behind him. Rhett turned around, startled, and saw Link standing there, and he looked almost normal, save for the perpetual bleak look in his eyes he'd recently attained. They looked into each other's eyes, as familiar to each other as a beloved childhood memory, before Link turned around and walked into the house, the door left open as an invitation to follow.

"Have you read the YouTube comments lately?" Link asked, leading Rhett to his living room. Both men failed to acknowledge Link's tearful exit from their studio earlier. The taller men did, however, take in a few details of the living room that might otherwise go unnoticed: his kids' forgotten toys lined up neatly on the windowsill, a dress presumably belonging to Christy folded and placed discreetly on the loveseat, and, most surprisingly, a small collection of empty beer bottles discreetly grouped in a corner.

Only a moment late in replying, Rhett replied, "According to the mythical beasts, something's going on and they're really worried about us. My favorite theory is that we've established a suicide pact and the day is drawing near." The beat of silence that followed made Rhett nervous, as though the possibility of suicide had already crossed Link's mind. When he spoke, however, his tone was still light. "It feels nice knowing they care enough to notice things like that."

It was a quiet sniff from Link that tipped Rhett off: the brunette was close to tears again. Rhett considered doing something, anything, to try and cheer him up, but Link cut off his thoughts by asking, "Want a beer?" The mere question threw Rhett for a loop. Neither of them were very big drinkers, but now seemed as good a time as any to share a drink.

"I could do with a drink".

With a beer in hand, Rhett sat on the couch he'd spent approximately 100 hours on over the past more-than-a-decade. For a moment, he got a taste of what Link was going through; if Rhett felt gloomy in this house now void of noise, how did Link deal with it when he lived here?

"What the hell happened back there, Link?" Rhett hadn't meant to ask, but the need to say something, to cover up the silence where Lily and and Lincoln should have been fighting, or where Lando should have been crying for Christy, overcame him. And now that he'd asked, he realized he was dying to know. He knew the looming reason why Link was almost always a moment away from tears, but usually Rhett could see it coming. Today he'd freaked out without anything to provoke him, which wasn't like him, even in this state.

The answer, when it finally came, was surprisingly simple, and simply heartbreaking.

"Christy and I had a special night planned tonight. We planned it months ago. Today's not anything special, it was just another Friday. We were supposed to ask you and Jessie to babysit tonight a few weeks ago. But then...you know..." As he walked into the living room to join Rhett, he downed the beer in a few gulps, and as he took his seat next to his friend, he let the now empty bottle roll onto the rug with a soft clink, refusing to look at his friend, knowing the kind, understanding look in his eyes would set him off again.

Now that he'd started talking about it, he realized he couldn't stop. "We were going to go to the theater for once, which wasn't my idea. She said she didn't even really like the thought of seeing actors put on fake accents and yell and flail their arms around, but that she felt like being fancy for once. Then we were going to some restaurant, I can't even remember the name of it now, some Italian place." The brunette hadn't realized it, but his voice had started to wobble, and tears were forming in the corners of his eyes.

Rhett peered closely at Link, taking in the slight shaking in his hands, the little extra bit of breath he needed to keep talking, but chose to let him keep talking. "It certainly wasn't the ideal date that I would have wanted, but she was so looking forward to it. She didn't say so, and maybe I'm just reading too much into everything, but maybe she was hoping this date would bring the spark back, or something. She spared me the gory details of exactly why she wanted me to take off my wedding ring and pretend the last few years of my life never happened, but I'm pretty sure she was just sick of me. Anyway, we were sitting at our desk, and I looked at my watch, and thought to myself, 'I've still got time, we're not going out for another three hours.'

To his surprise, a sob escaped Link, he who hadn't even realized his eyes had started leaking tears onto his cheeks again. In spite of himself, he managed to continue. "And suddenly, I felt like I couldn't breathe, and I wanted Christy back more in that moment than I have this whole time, and I wanted to say something to you, that maybe I was having a heart attack, and suddenly I was crying and I had to go home. I was hoping you wouldn't follow me either, I needed time to be alone, even if just for an hour or two, and I just came here and cried and I thought I'd never be able to stop-"

And now he was sobbing, giving voice to the pain of having the woman he'd pledged his life to give up on them, and not being able to hold the children he'd die for, reliving years of memories with every tear that ran down his face. His first date with the woman he had no idea he'd marry, the moment he proposed to her and her face lit up in tearful delight, dancing until his feet ached at his wedding, with Rhett and his family happy beyond reasonable measure that he'd found someone to share his life with, becoming a father for the first, second, and finally third time, and even just five months ago, holding Christy at two in the morning, suddenly overcome with emotion over how different his life would have been without her...and the pitying, teary look in her eyes as she herded the kids into her mother's car, not even able to whisper a _goodbye..._

He'd been so overcome with anguish and destroyed memories, Link hadn't realized that Rhett had gathered him into his arms, held him like he was shielding him from something, and Link had a disembodied memory of a past Wheel of Mythicality. Relishing in the comfort his oldest friend offered, Link buried his face into Rhett's chest, and his sobs were smothered by Rhett's shirt. Blessedly, Rhett didn't let go, and Link realized dimly by the gruff rise and fall of his friend's chest that the blond was struggling to hold back his own tears.

Finally, his sobs had dwindled to small creaks and whimpers, and he found that he'd been clenching Rhett's shirt to the point of leaving wrinkles. Slowly, he disentangled himself from his friend, rubbing his eyes and mumbling some sort of apology, and a thanks for being there for me, and a what would I do without you? He looked into his friend's eyes, slightly surprised by the intensity in his gaze. Prompted by this, Link cleared his throat and managed to croak, "Really man, I'm okay. You can stop worrying now." Rhett chuckled softly, shaking his head, and said lightly, "You really think I believe you?"

The complete lack of disbelief had a surprising effect on Link, and he actually laughed out loud,

and this set the both of them off. When the laughter tapered out, Link found he actually felt like a human again, and he was ready to thank his friend again when he suddenly spoke again.

"Linkster, I know I'm not Christy, or even a woman, but I'd be more than happy to take you out tonight."

* * *

**Fave, comments, critiques, etc. No flames if you can help it.**

**I'LL FINISH MY SOUTH PARK FIC BY THE END OF FEBRUARY IF IT KILLS ME! sorry at this point I can't promise anything, but I'll try!**


	2. Rising

Maybe this was all Link needed to get back on his feet: a night out with his best friend.

Rhett had tried repeatedly for the past weeks to take Link out, thinking that hanging out like they had when they were younger would put Link in a better state of mind. But Link had refused every outing he'd proposed, claiming that he was either too tired or simply wasn't up to do anything. Now, however, Link realized how desperate he was to escape the quiet of his house, no matter what the lackluster look on his face might have implied.

"Come on, man, try smiling. I'm gonna show you a good time if it kills me," Rhett said, patting Link on the back as he stood up. "No more tears if you can help it, okay?" Link, touched at his friend's sentiment, nodded assent, and found a smile from somewhere within himself, and buried the tears he'd been ready to let loose. He stood up as Rhett made his way to the door, and found himself suddenly determined. Yes, his life might have been a mess right now, and yes, this might have been the most depressed he'd been in his life, but Rhett was going out of his way to pull him out of the hole he'd been pushed into.

The least he could do was try and pull himself out as well.

The next few hours were a blur of drinks, bright lights, and most dazzlingly of all, cadences of hysterical laughter. In hindsight, it seemed kind of cheesy to describe it as such, but it seemed like one of those montages you see in the movies: two friends strolling through LA, one strikingly more chipper than the other, but the second friend getting progressively more cheerful the further they walked.

Rhett kept up a steady conversation, determined to keep the smile on Link's face. Link was glad; he found it hard to think of anything to say that wouldn't deaden the conversation. At one point, however, he did manage to bring up an old college memory (in which a prank they'd pulled had gone horribly wrong and they'd almost gotten killed by their classmates), and suddenly they took turns recounting the days before they'd started YouTube as a career. Before they'd gotten married and had started a business together.

To many people, it seemed like a dream come true, getting to work with your best friend. And in a lot of ways, it was: your friends are the family you choose, after all, and Link felt like he could trust Rhett with his life, and knew with no doubt that the feeling was mutual. They were, however, still human after all, and sometimes could get short with each other. Link's meticulous nature could get irritating, and sometimes Rhett took a joke too far; there was the rare occasion when they were mad at each other while the cameras rolling, and it took all their camera presence and self-restraint to keep their sarcastic comments to themselves.

But the past few weeks, Link had been nothing but grateful to have Rhett is his life, despite how often he'd pushed him away. Sometimes, he could tell by the tension in his jaw or the extra-long breath Rhett took that he was losing patience, but he'd set that aside and let Link continue feeling sorry for himself. And looking at him now, his head thrown back in laughter and his blond hair catching the bright Californian sunlight, he was so grateful that his parents had moved him to North Carolina all those years ago.

Link couldn't quite remember how it had happened, but somehow he ended up chugging an entire pitcher of beer, with Rhett and other bar goers cheering him on. He felt incredibly stupid, but it was the stupidity of adolescence, where he knew he was acting foolishly, but also knew there would be no consequences.

Unfortunately, more than halfway through his drink, it went down the wrong way and he had a coughing fit, and in a panic had dropped the glass pitcher. There was a collective cringe as it shattered on the ground, and after a brief pause, there was a roar of laughter. Rhett proceeded to pat his friend firmly on the back, biting back his own laughter, afraid that Link would take the laughter as malicious. But to his surprise, once Link had gotten over his small episode, he let forth his own bark of laughter, which of course set Rhett off as well.

As the small crowd around them thinned out, the larger man wrapped his arm around the brunette's shoulders, and Link was quietly amazed at how content he felt in that moment. He'd never been as close to another man as he had with Rhett McLaughlin, and didn't allow himself to think about it too much when he rested his head on his friend's shoulder. Rhett, thinking nothing of it, merely patted Link on the shoulder before pulling away, and Link was vaguely disappointed at the loss of contact, even as he reached for another pitcher of beer.

From then on, they ended up hopping from one bar to another, Rhett joking the entire way of how unfair it was that he had to limit the alcohol as "designated driver". As the night wore on, however, whenever Link reached for yet another bottle or glass, Rhett would grab onto the sleeve of his shirt, a silent plea to stop. It had been fine for the first hour or so, but as Link reached his third hour of alcoholic indulgence, Rhett was worried that he was enabling what could become a dangerous crutch for his friend.

But each time, Link had waved him off, saying he was just letting loose for tonight, and that this was as good as he'd felt in a while. Rhett had no response for that, and bit back his concern, thinking that he'd have a good long talk with him tomorrow. With every sip of water or soda that he took, the blond tried not to notice how unsteady and vulgar his friend became, from sloshing half his beer down his shirt to shouting obscenities to women across the bar.

He reached his limit, finally, when Link ended up shouting, "Hey honey, I think I saw that same rack on my computer screen the other night, can I get another look at them?" to a woman wearing a particularly low cut dress. She turned an unbecoming shade of crimson as her eyes turned to daggers, saying something to the giant who stood beside her. Rhett decided against staying and apologizing to the woman and her boyfriend, tossing a couple of bills to the bartender before dragging his friend to his feet, all the while as Link was hiccuping and laughing heartily.

"What the hell was that?!"

Rhett could not hide his disgust at Link, who was slumped in the passenger seat of his car, barely conscious. He hadn't been able to belt himself in, or even sit himself into the car, and was even now choosing to ignore Rhett's fury. After all, Rhett was doing all he could to cheer him up; he couldn't go getting mad at Link now. "Keep it down, dude, I can barely think straight."

Turning slightly away from the road to glare at Link, Rhett's anger bubbled over. "'Hey honey, can I get a look at your rack?' Who even are you, man?"Shaking his head, Rhett gripped the steering wheel tighter, cursing himself for not being firm when Link had started to drink himself sick.

"She was asking for it, Rhett. No self-respecting woman would wear a dress like that not expecting comments,' Link slurred blearily. Frankly, he didn't care to discuss it; he was too out of it to even remember what the problem was. The blond was horrified at his friend's misogyny, not caring that it as the alcohol that made him act so stupidly.

"That's bullshit and you know it." He hit the brake hard, causing Link to lean forward and crash back onto his seat painfully. Yelping in surprise, he barely cared enough to mumble a "whatever," in response. Rhett exhaled loudly, finding it useless to try and scold his friend now with alcohol rendering him idiotic and callous. He'd just deal with it tomorrow, cringing at the thought of the hangover Link was going to have in the morning.

Supporting most of Link's weight, Rhett managed to lead to his bedroom, though he complained the whole way about how he'd just been getting started, and what are we doing home so soon? The taller of the duo was surprisingly disappointed that his plan to cheer up his best friend had backfired. Sure, Link's broken heart was numbed, but he'd feel even crappier tomorrow when the hangover set in and he realized how stupid he'd been tonight. And he was upset that the night had progressed from one of healing to one of debauchery and an idiotic amount of out-of-character indulgence.

"Shut up, Link," Rhett said, exhausted, as Link continued to slur about how much fun he'd had tonight and how upset he was that it had ended so soon. As soon as he was in front of his bed, however, he fell onto it luxuriously, curling up as his eyes fluttered tiredly. Rhett shook his head, trying to work out in his mind how the night had managed to go so wrong, and turned away as Link yawned hugely.

He walked to the door, and threw over his shoulder, "I'll be back in the morning to scrape you off the floor, Neal," managing to be both sarcastic and caring at once. He'd just reached the door frame, however, when a voice croaked behind him.

"Wait. Rhett, don't go."

The tall blond turned back, and slightly to his amazement, Link was sitting up, leaning on one arm to keep from slumping onto his side. He was trembling slightly all over, and the rise and fall of his chest suggested that he was either nervous or struggling to stay conscious. "Don't go," he repeated quietly, suddenly vulnerable behind the alcoholic barrier surrounding him. "I'm sorry. I know I was stupid, and I know I was a jackass. I was just...I'm just so...I..."

And all at once, the heavy rise and fall of his chest made sense: Link was barely holding back tears. Sighing at having to once again having to play comforter to the broken, especially when the broken was buzzed on beer and some whiskey, Rhett took a seat next to the brunette, who had taken off his glasses to rub his suddenly red eyes. He rested a hand on his sloshed friend's back, patting his softly as Link swallowed his sobs and tried to get a grip.

"You were an idiot," Rhett began flatly, deciding that even if he was drunk and might not remember any of this tomorrow, it was time to be firm. "I know you're hurting right now, man, I do. I'm sorry about Christy, and I know you miss the kids. But it's no excuse to drink like a fish and piss people off like that." At the mention of Christy, Link finally looked Rhett in the eye, his own eyes glassy and teary.

Encouraged by the eye contact, Rhett continued. "I took you out to drink tonight because I wanted to help you perk up a little. Maybe that was my fault; maybe I should have taken you out to do something less...destructive. I was really just trying to help you out, man, and now I feel like a jerk. I mean, look at you." Link blinked slowly, not breaking eye contact, even as Rhett gestured for him to look down at himself.

"I only say this because I care about you. If you want to feel any better about this whole thing, you can't depend on beer to make you happy, or anything, for that matter. You have to learn to rely on yourself." A long silence followed, during which Rhett thought Link was, despite his intoxication, absorbing what his friend was saying. Rhett was surprised when the only thing that came out of him was, "You know, you're the only man who's ever cared this much about me. Hell, sometimes it seems like you care about me more than she ever did."

Slightly annoyed, Rhett replied, "Of course I care about you. Why do you think I put up with you all night? It's because I want you to-"

Link, not listening to a word, wrapped his arms around Rhett, and repeated dazedly, "You're the only one who's ever cared this much about me." His next move seemed as natural to him as his own heartbeat, as easy as breathing:

He kissed his best friend full on the lips.


	3. Awake

Rhett, too shocked at first to do anything, to even respond or refuse, took in a thousand things at once. It was a gentle kiss, and the pressure on Rhett's lips was slight and warm. Link's lips were slightly chapped, and softer than the blond would have thought. He smelled and tasted of booze, of course, and somehow Rhett caught the salty taste of tears. The feeling of stubble around Link's mouth was rough but not entirely unpleasant. And he held Rhett loosely, too drunk to summon any real strength to embrace him, and pressed up against him, he felt thin and vulnerable.

Finally, Rhett regained enough of himself to put his hands on Link's shoulders and pull him away. He could feel the blush on his face, and was angry at how choked his voice came out sounding. "Link...what the hell was that, you idiot?"

The brunette looked up at his friend, and distressingly, in that moment, Rhett couldn't tell what he was thinking. He searched his face, trying to find an explanation for Link's latest action, trying to quell his confusion and the sudden pounding he felt in his chest. To his relief, Link's dazed expression faded, and he looked almost as shocked as Rhett thought he probably looked; relief, because he had no idea how to go about rejecting a drunken, incoherent advance from an ostensibly heterosexual friend of more than thirty years.

"I'm sorry," Link replied quietly, voice trembling through his slur. "I-I don't know anymore, man." He took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady; it was a losing battle, Rhett could see that clearly enough. He visibly struggled, as alcohol, and something else, maybe (but what?), tripped him up and twisted his tongue. "I'm just so fucking lonely right now, man, and you're the only one who gives a shit about me right now, and I haven't felt this safe in weeks..." At the very least, he managed to look as embarrassed as an inebriated person could. "Not that I...obviously not...I'm s-sorry, man, I'm so sorry, I really am..."

As he was talking, he turned his head away, the entire night coming to a head. As intoxicated as he was, in that moment, even if he didn't realize exactly how, Link knew he'd done something wrong. Rhett could see the torrent of thought and emotion flash across Link's face, and he had the sudden, almost overpowering desire to plant a kiss on his face, hoping it would soften the blows he'd received as of late.

Mortified, he instead opted to wrap his arms around Link, arms encircling him tightly to the point of crushing him, and Link breathed a sigh of relief, letting out a sob. _Here we go again, _Rhett thought, holding back a deep exhale. But Link's single sob gave way to quiet weeping and sniffling, and Rhett ultimately decided that Link was simply too tired to really let himself go.

Link eventually pulled away, and Rhett, somewhat reluctantly, loosened his embrace. "You okay?" he asked, his voice suddenly gruff. Seemingly at a loss for words, the brunette could only nod, and Rhett could see from the heaviness of his eyelids that he was struggling to hold onto consciousness, too tired to wipe the tears from his face. He gave a small half-smile at how sleepy his friend was; it was almost endearing, considering how he'd gotten to this point.

Cautiously, the taller man ran his fingers through Link's hair, trying to convey nothing but friendship and support in his gaze, trying to school that brief moment between the two of them out of his heart. His mind. He vowed not to think of it again; it was just way too confusing, and he wasn't going to lose his oldest friend over one awkward encounter.

Slowly, Link leaned back onto his bed, and Rhett began to stand, relived that this unexpected intensity between the two of them was drawing to a close. He was alarmed when he felt timid fingers brush lightly against his own, and his head whipped back to look at Link, whose eyes had already crashed shut. Before sleep overtook him completely, though, he managed to breathe a final sentiment, a hazy smile on his lips as he spoke.

"I love you. I've always loved you."

* * *

...

"Rhett, it's almost midnight! When are you coming home?"

"Sorry, Jess. I think I might have to crash here for a few days. Link needs me."

* * *

_A foggy memory. _

_In this memory, a younger, much shorter Rhett was chasing after an equally short Link. North Carolina summers were usually very warm, and today was no exception. The bet was that if Link made it to the tree at the end of the field before Rhett, the blond boy would have to give the icky girl in their class a kiss. _

_He wasn't about to make a jerk of himself over a stupid lost race. _

_At this young age, he didn't have the advantage of a longer stride against Link, but even without it, he was still only mere feet away from catching up to his blue eyed chum. "I'm not going to lose to you today, dude!" he shouted gleefully, the grass tickling his bare feet. _

_Link turned briefly to taunt his friend, and replied, "Says you!" He turned away once again, picking up the pace and ignoring the stitch in his side. The end of the field was within sight, and Rhett began to panic. His tongue poked out of the corner of his mouth as he psyched himself up and made a minute decision. "I said, I'm not gonna lose!" With that, he launched himself forward with all his might, and time seemed to slow down as he collided with Link, whose yelp of surprise rang in his ears, and the sunshine brushing on their skin and the smell of grass and the brilliant blue of the sky culminated into one moment Rhett knew he'd never forget. _

_Suddenly, reality came crashing back as the two boys slammed against the ground, but in the midst of the roughness of the ground, the scratching of knees, and the bumping of heads on the aforementioned rough ground, they both dissolved into gales of laughter, which echoed all around them. The two boys wrestled about for a bit, of course not intending to hurt each, but to come out on top._

"_Uncle, uncle!" Link yelled, gasping for air through his giggles. Rhett looked down at him, pinning both of his friend's arms to the ground, bellowing out, "I have bested you once again, Charles!" "Don't call me that!" Link retorted indignantly, struggling against Rhett's grip. For a brief moment, the two locked eyes, and Link felt a slight lift in his chest as Rhett's laughing eyes looked into his own, and in a strange, almost terrifying way, Link knew that Rhett could feel it as well. _

_The moment was gone as quickly as it had begun, as Rhett got to his feet once more and yelled, "Try to keep up if you can, brother!" "Hey!" Link shouted after him, his laughter returning. "You cheated! Get back here, you dirty rotten cheat!" And ignoring the sudden sharp pain running up his leg, Link took off after his friend, ready to chase him to the end of the world to keep him from winning. _

_Ready to chase him forever.  
_

* * *

In the stifling quiet of the once vibrant home, there on Link's couch, still staring up blankly at the ceiling, Rhett finally drifted off into restless sleep. Only a stone's throw away, his best friend slept blissfully, unaware even in his dreams of how drastically the world had just changed.


	4. Stumble

_A dream. _

_Link sat in his recliner, Lando sleeping soundly in his lap. He was still tiny enough to enjoy cuddling with his father, and Link feared the day he'd deem himself to old for hugs and snuggles. He hadn't had a stable father figure for most of his childhood, so he was determined to be the best father to his children that he could. If only his kids could appreciate that._

_As with most of his dreams, everything was a little fuzzy and out of focus, like whenever Link didn't have his glasses on. Lando was the only thing Link could see that didn't look distorted, and only then because they were so close. He looked down at his youngest child, smiled and filled with that familiar sense of pride that this was his son, that he'd helped make this little bundle of joy possible._

_Like the sound of thunder, always distant, the brunette could hear Lily and Lincoln stampede up and down the stairs, laughing like maniacs and making enough noise to shatter windows. He was tempted to yell for them to keep it down, but instead leaned back and closed his eyes, letting their shenanigans continue; they'd wear themselves out soon enough. Besides, he felt too content to try and ruin their fun, no matter how much potential destruction they could wreak._

_For some reason, the sound of footsteps rang loudly in his ears, and he looked up to see a figure approaching him. The person was exceptionally blurry, but Link could hazard a guess as to who it was. "Hey you," he said, a smile coming to life across his lips. His heart rate gave a little spike as the one he loved came closer. _

"_I'll take Lando off your hands. You seem tired."_

_Link stood up, handing over his child before stretching his arms upward. "You're too good to me, you know that?" "Oh, believe me, I'm aware. You don't know how good you have it." Blue eyes met his own, and behind the sparkle was a loving laugh that could melt Link's heart in an instant. After all this time, he was amazed at the love that still managed to overtake him, make his face heat up and his thoughts jumble messily. He couldn't even put into words how much love he felt around this one person on this entire earth. _

_His eyes shut in a blink, but in that one instant, the entire scene had shifted. Suddenly, he wasn't in his home; he didn't know where he was, but that didn't matter. The person before him had suddenly come into full view, but Link had no reaction to that either; it was exactly who he'd known it was all along. But suddenly, his sense of home and warmth was gone, replaced by a soul crushing sadness. _

"_I don't like feeling this way." His eyes took on the perpetually miserable look of the past weeks, and his heart slowed down to the point where he was almost positive he didn't have one. "I feel like I've lost everything I have. Even with you right here in front of me, I feel like I've been abandoned. You have no idea how hard I've tried to make the pain stop, have prayed, even. I just want it all to stop."_

_A smile was slow in coming. "You have me. You don't have to worry about that. No matter what I may say, or how I might act, I will be here for you. And that's for always. You don't just abandon someone you've invested so much time in." _

"_Why do I find it so hard to believe you right now?"_

"_Because you're hurt. And you're afraid of having it happen again. But I promise you, I'll try my hardest never to hurt you." Link could feel himself fading into consciousness, but tried desperately to hold onto this dream, this conversation.. "But you already have. Or have you forgotten?"He couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice, not anymore. _

_The loving expression was replaced with confusion, eyes dumb and innocent. Finally, a response, unsure and somehow afraid. "I've never hurt you, not intentionally. What are you talking about?" Already, Link could feel morning light shine in through his window, and the pains of his body began to creep in. As the heaviness of sleep ebbed away, Link did manage one final thought._

"_You hurt me when you went and found yourself a wife. That's how."_

* * *

Sleeping had always been the highlight of Link's days. He could (and had) slept through earthquakes, and nothing made him feel better than a little time curled up under his blanket, except for a lot of time under his blanket. Lately, he'd been spending even more time in bed, trying to shut out the world and all its cruelties, taking refuge in his ability to drift off in minutes. But he'd been loathe to discover that there were two things sleep couldn't fix: one of them was a broken heart.

The other was a hangover.

He was reminded painfully of this as he came fully awake, his dream already fragmenting and disappearing in lieu of a body that screamed for mercy and a headache threatening to bring tears to his eyes. And suddenly, he sprang out of bed in a panic, his stomach clenching and bile rising up in his throat. His body was one giant ache, but he didn't care; he needed the bathroom and he needed it immediately.

After purging himself and flushing all his dignity down the drain, Link all but collapsed onto the floor, only remembering to brush his teeth because he couldn't bear the awful taste in his mouth. As he did so, he took in his profile with a grimace; his eyes were bloodshot with dark circles underneath, his lips dry and chapped, and he was still pale and shaking from his latest episode.

He stumbled from the bathroom, the prospect of facing the day daunting in and of itself. Trudging to the kitchen, he hoped a cup of coffee might help wash away the pain of his hangover. There was something amiss; even in his deteriorated state, he could sense that. But he had no idea what it was that was wrong, until he stepped out of the hallway, flinching as his bare feet touched the cold floor.

Rhett was lying on the couch, legs hanging off the end and one arm hanging off the other. That in itself was odd, since Rhett always slept in the guestroom if he was staying over. In fact, what was truly surprising was that Rhett was here at all. Last night was still too foggy to recall anything important, but he could have sworn he'd heard Rhett say he'd be back here tomorrow, not that he was staying over.

Link took a moment to study his friend, who looked so peaceful when he slept, no matter how uncomfortable he probably was. The stiffness of his hair had receded, leaving his hair soft and messy from sleep. His mouth was opened slightly, his head tilted to the side, and from the sound of his light snoring, he was still in a deep slumber. Link allowed himself a small grin; he'd seen this man at his most vulnerable many times over the years, but it still warmed his heart to see the sight of such a giant looking like he couldn't hurt a fly. He turned away, his mood lifted marginally from knowing Rhett was around. Link had the vague impression that he was in for something from him, that he hadn't just stayed over for the sake of staying over.

Slowly, and not without some huge effort, he began to recall going out for drinks the night before, and suddenly stopped cold, hand halfway to the coffeepot on the counter. It all came rushing back in a flurry of sight and sound; he recalled a lot of empty bottles, felt the stickiness of beer dried on the counter before him, saw flashes of random strangers as they gave him either pitying or murderous looks. And most sharply, he recalled Rhett, how his smile faded as the night wore on, the way he ran his hand through his hair in frustration as he tried to slow Link down, his hand on Link's shoulder, pleading with him in that small gesture to put down the alcohol.

And suddenly, Link was felt with all the remorse he should have felt last night. It was a dull ache, like a fading bruise, but it was enough to make him close his eyes, his headache suddenly spiked from the knowledge that he'd acted like a fool last night. His only excuse was that he couldn't cry or talk about Christy or miss the kids if he was busy guzzling beer, but in the quietness of the morning, even that excuse seemed flimsy and stupid.

The phone rang, and Link jumped, jolted out of his stupor of regret and self-loathing, replacing it with confusion. Contrary to what he'd let on, Link had actually received calls from the kids a handful of times since Christy had taken off with them. (It still burned him up that she'd taken it upon herself to do that; they were his kids too, weren't they?) They were only able to talk for brief moments, and Christy certainly didn't know about it; the way the child he was talking to, usually Lily, hung up so quickly, sometimes in the middle of a sentence, was indicative of that. He didn't tell Rhett about it, for no other reason than there was nothing to say about it, really; his kids were gone, but they missed him as much as he missed them. Therefore, they called.

It was too early for it to be them, however; it wasn't even quite eight in the morning yet, and his kids never failed to sleep in, especially in the summer. He made his way over to the cordless phone, realizing he'd been standing in one spot for over five minutes and hadn't even gotten the coffee out yet. To be fair, though, his mind was still muddled from a mix of hangover and guilt.

"Hello?" he croaked, taking a moment to clear his throat. "Morning, Link! Sorry to call so early, well, early for a Saturday anyway, but is Rhett there?" Link allowed himself a small smile; he would have thought he'd feel bitter towards Jessie, given the circumstances, but he actually felt no different concerning her; his marriage might have fallen apart, but Rhett and Jessie's seemed to be as strong as ever, and for some reason, that mattered a lot to him now.

"Yeah, he's still here. He's passed out on the couch, though. Want me to wake him up?" "No, no, don't bother. I just wanted to make sure he's alright. He's spending so much time away from home, lately, that I just wanted to be sure he was with you." Link looked towards the living room, thinking he'd heard something, maybe Rhett getting up, but said nothing about it to Jessie.

They exchanged goodbyes, Link silently thankful to end the conversation; it took more energy than he had right now to make chit chat. As he hung up the phone, he heard the telltale sound of footprints; Rhett was up, and was coming for the kitchen. Link suddenly felt himself tense; he knew that Rhett wasn't really the type to get worked up over things, but Link was afraid that maybe he'd crossed the line last night. Sure, neither of them were against drinking, but somehow, drinking to liver cancer and harassing strangers seemed a bit different.

And then Rhett was standing in the doorway, and Link could tell immediately that something was wrong. Rhett's eyes were red, like he'd either been crying or hadn't slept well, and he seemed uncomfortable to even be standing there, when he'd practically lived here for the past decade. They stared at each other again, and Link thought vaguely back to yesterday, with an odd sense of déjà vu. Then, like now, ignoring the tension and acting like everything was fine came more easily to the both of them.

"I was just about to make some coffee. Jessie called, by the way."

"I guess I'll call her back, then," Rhett replied, arms raised above his head in one long stretch. As the blond made the call, Link went through the suddenly Olympic-level task of making coffee, struggling not only because of his hangover (which still felt like knives in his head), but also the intensity he suddenly felt with Rhett in the room, feeling like he should say something about last night, apologize, promise he won't go mental with the alcohol again.

Rhett wrapped up his call, and after letting Jessie know he was fine, and that he'd be home soon, he turned around. Link flinched slightly, suddenly realizing he'd been staring at Rhett's back the whole time, as he'd silently rehearsed his apology. "Why are you staring at me?" Rhett asked, his face unreadable. It was that careful blankness that caused Link to stand up, pushing his chair out from behind him, and walk until he was as close to Rhett as he could be without touching him.

Link noticed the sudden panic on his friend's face, and was temped to ask him what was wrong, but he already knew; he was afraid he'd have to confront his best friend on his nonexistent drinking problem, and didn't know how to. "Look man, about last night: I'm really, really sorry. You have no idea how stupid I feel about it now. I mean, you go out of your way to try and cheer me up, and then I go and ruin it for the both of us."

When his friend's look of terror didn't fade, Link pressed on. "I mean, I know I don't typically drink that much, but...I don't know, at the time I felt like I needed it. But trust me, I'm not gonna become some deadbeat alcoholic over my...my divorce." He was suddenly painfully aware that he hadn't said the word "divorce" once since Christy had told him she'd wanted one, and he was amazed by how sharp the word felt on his tongue...and how quickly the pain of saying it faded.

This felt profound in some way, but he couldn't focus on that now. He'd been prepared to go on, to insist that the hangover he had right now was just one reason he wasn't hitting the bottle any time soon, but slightly to his surprise, Rhett had begun to visibly relax. "Oh. Oh yeah. No, don't worry about that, brother. I understand. Just as long as it doesn't happen again."

Link opened his mouth to say something, to ask properly why Rhett had looked so afraid a moment ago, when his friend cut across him, saying, "I think the coffee's done." He walked past the shorter man, his walk somehow purposeful, like he was leaving something behind him, and Link had almost given voice to his confusion when his head began to throb violently. That little speech he'd given had only intensified his headache, and, it turned out, he hadn't even needed to bother.

"Never again," he muttered, following sluggishly in his friend's wake.


	5. Destroyed

The next couple of hours spent together were uncharacteristically quiet. Link was still too physically shattered to get anything important done for Good Mythical Morning, and Rhett seemed distracted, and unable to focus on coming up with any ideas. Their usual productive Saturday was spent on the couch, watching television. At least, there was a pretense that they were watching TV. In reality, Link's eyes were closed as he tried to will away his headache, and Rhett was staring blankly at the screen without taking anything in.

Finally, Rhett decided he'd had enough of just sitting there, and he got up so abruptly that Link jumped. "I'm going home. I'll come back tomorrow morning to pick you up. Be ready by nine." Link's bleary expression was replaced with an inquisitive raise of his eyebrow, but Rhett pretended not to notice his friend's confusion. He reached for his jacket, purposefully not looking at Link as he did so. He was halfway into his jacket when Link finally decided to say something."Something's up with you, man. Are you still mad at me?" There was a brief pause as Rhett tried to work out how he felt. He wasn't angry, not exactly, but he didn't know how to put what he felt into words. He wasn't even entirely sure if he should.

"No, man, I'm not mad at you, although to be fair, you gave me plenty of reason to be. I'm just…confused, I guess." Not quite true either, but as close a word as he could find. "I know all about being confused by now. What's bothering you?" Link stood up and walked up to the blond, placing a hand lightly on his friend's shoulder.

_I love you. I've always loved you._ No, Rhett chided himself, hating the flush that bloomed across his face. He was drunk when he said that; stop letting it get to you. "I don't know, man. I mean, I want to help you somehow, but I don't know how to. I just… hate feeling like I can't do anything to make you feel better."

All of which was still true; it just wasn't what was weighing on him right now. But how was he supposed to talk about something so awkward to Link?

Link, in an unusual move, wrapped his arms around Rhett. The two friends were affectionate (thirty years of friendship did create a rare level of intimacy), but the hugs between them were usually celebratory, or more recently, shared when tears were falling. They didn't typically hug when they were discussing things like uncertainty or doubt. Rhett tried not to tense as Link held him, but found it difficult as those two small sentences continued to scream at him. "I'll be fine, Rhett. I know I seem like a wreck, but I promise you, I'll pull myself out of this hole somehow." He paused, then added sheepishly, "I know last night was kind of…hectic, and I know I'm hungover right now, but it did help me. It was like, I don't know, a wake up call. I feel better about things now."

Rhett exhaled, not realized he'd been holding his breath, and replied, "I'm glad to hear that, Link." He returned the hug briefly, ignoring the little spike in his heart rate as he did so, and added, "It's good to know going out ended up helping you after all. But seriously, I should get going, or Jessie's gonna get upset. And I haven't been spending enough time with the boys lately, either." Link looked awkwardly down at his feet, and Rhett was sorry; it sounded like he was blaming Link for the little Rhett had seen of his family recently. He didn't know how to apologize for something that was simultaneously true and not Link's fault, so he only said, "I'll see you tomorrow, man."

The brunette looked up, and for the first time that morning, the first time in a while, he seemed somewhat close to content. He was somehow miles way from the same man who'd burst out of their studio in the middle of taping just yesterday. "Don't be late. I feel like tomorrow's episode is going to be the best one we've had in a while." Rhett chuckled at that; according to the comments lately, that wasn't saying much. Link looked into his friend's eyes, blue to match his own, and hesitated for a moment before saying, "I love you, man. You're the best friend I could have ever hoped for."

Rhett hated the way his heart pounded at that. _I love you; I've always loved you. _

It would have been stranger, though, not to say anything at all, so finally, he said, "You too, Link." He lifted a hand in departure, and Link smiled in return before following Rhett to the door. Rhett didn't look back as Link called, "See you," before he closed the door and made his way towards his bedroom. He was vaguely relieved that his friend had left; now he didn't have to stay awake for anyone and could go back to sleep.

As he walked back to his car, Rhett's mind was cloudy with confusion. He'd kept the unspoken promise between friends: he'd been there for Link when he'd needed him most, and had helped him when he'd hit his lowest. He was amazed that letting his friend drink himself sick had actually turned out to work in his favor, though that in itself was a small miracle. He'd planned to stay with Link for a few more days, but during his phone call with her that morning, Jessie had managed to talk him out of it (to be honest, it didn't take much to convince him), and from what Link said, he didn't have to stay with him after all. Rhett should have been over the moon, especially considering the debacle that had happened on set yesterday. (He cringed to think of the comments that were coming their way when they released it on Monday.)

But now, he caught his hands shaking as he put the key in the ignition. Link didn't remember the moments before he fell unconscious last night. But Rhett could still feel the pressure of his friend's lips on his own, and those last few words, spoken so quietly Rhett almost thought they hadn't been spoken at all. He'd stayed up the whole night, trying not to remember, and failing. Last night had been one of the loneliest he'd had in recent memory, and his sleep had been one of the worst.

He was glad to be gone from Link's house, as cruel as that sounded; the unearthly quiet and the torrent of what-if's and proximity to his friend might have driven him insane. If it's hadn't been for that last sentence that had slipped out between Link's lips (lips that, as damning as it was to think this way, were so wonderfully soft and luscious), Rhett might not have been so torn up and confused.

And he might not be wondering if that drunken whisper had held any truth to it.

* * *

Link couldn't sleep.

He had burrowed himself back into his blankets, one arm draped over his headboard, and his head nestled comfortably on his pillow, and sleep wouldn't come. The night before had continued to trickle into his memory, and each new memory bought a new grimace and a cringe as Link was swarmed with embarrassment. He hadn't known he was capable of being so rude to complete strangers, though to be fair, that wasn't really him talking. And over and over again, he saw the growing disappointment in Rhett's eyes as the night wore on, and how quiet he got the more Link drank, while the latter couldn't shut up.

"I should have apologized more to him," Link muttered to himself. Rhett had told him that he wasn't mad, but maybe he was more upset than he let on. Maybe that was really what was wrong with him, and he just hadn't wanted to fight about it. The brunette had taken off his glasses when he got back into bed, and somehow, the blurriness of sight helped clear some of the pains of his hangover. It helped him focus and organize his thoughts, and made recollection easier.

And it was while he was lamenting over how crappy of a friend he was that another memory began to surface. Rhett was dragging Link from his car, and Link was babbling about what a great time he'd had.

The blond's face was heavy with disappointment and worry, as he guided Link into his own house. The taller of the two men spoke in a tired monotone, and his hair had begun to fall out if it's usual style, sticking up normally in some spots and laying flat on his head in others. The two stumbled towards the brunette's bedroom, Link because he was drunk, and Rhett because he was trying to keep his friend from hurting himself.

Finally, Link lay on his bed, and not having to carry his own weight anymore, he realized how tired he was. He never had any trouble falling asleep, and with so much alcohol in his system, he was almost unconscious already. He had the vague sense of Rhett looming over him, but his eyelids were already dropping, so he couldn't be positive. He'd already assumed his favorite sleeping position, when suddenly, the deep tones of his friend's voice began to filter in.

_"I'll be back tomorrow to scrape you off the floor…" _

And the panic that rushed through him was enough for Link to sit up, shakily resting all his weight on one hand. Rhett was already stepping out of the room, and as Link tried to call out for him, he felt like something was holding him back. His voice wouldn't cooperate with what he wanted to say, and he struggled to free the words that were blocked by something (but what, what?) in his throat.

Finally: _"Wait." _

And when Rhett turned around, suddenly, all the words in the world died. The pity in his friend's eyes was too much, and Link dissolved into tears again. He stuttered about how horribly depressed he was, which was true, so very true, but what he'd really wanted to say was lost for the moment.

Link sighed, closing his eyes as his memory petered out. He guessed that he'd passed out somewhere along this time, because from this point on, he couldn't remember anything else happening. Maybe now he'd be able to get to sleep, now that he'd relived as much as his stupidity as he could. There was nothing left to remember.

At least…he couldn't remember images. It was the oddest sensation. There were no more images that he could conjure up, but he could taste the taste of tears as they traveled to his lips, could feel a heavy hand patting him soothingly on the back, heard the low baritones of Rhett's voice, as he tried to reach out to his friend. And then, one final image came crashing back, so intense and almost nonsensical that Link sat straight up in bed, a scream working it's way up from the back of his throat.

_Oh my God. I kissed my best friend._

But that wasn't even the end of it. Link stood up, began pacing the floor, breaking out into a cold sweat. This was bad. This was incredibly bad. It all made sense now. He knew now why Rhett had been almost too terrified to touch him, had looked him maybe once in the eye before practically running out of the house. And he understood the fear in his eyes. Link had said something awful to him. He'd uttered destructive words that Link had sworn never to speak to him.

He'd buried those words, deep within himself, so deep that Link almost believed those words didn't exist, had no weight, and meant nothing. But now, he'd unearthed them, and like a land mine, these few words would kill him. And maybe, just maybe, they'd kill Rhett in the process.

* * *

_A note, now smudged and nearly illegible, buried in the depths of North Carolina soil. _

"_I love you, Rhett McLaughlin". _


	6. Revelation

_A quick note: since continuing writing, I've changed my whole mind about this story. The "real" version is the one I submit to Tumblr user mythical-rhink. I will of course update here as well as I can, and hope that writing in the direction I'm going isn't too awkward, considering the changes I've made for it in my mind. Maybe in the future I'll upload the edited version on here as well. _

_Anyway, enjoy!_

* * *

It turned out that forgetting what Link had done proved impossible. From the very first day after Link had kissed him, Rhett had only one word for his state of mind: decline.

They'd decided to reshoot the whole episode where Link had run off before taping the newest one. Both of them had felt like puppets, going through the whole process over again, knowing that until it got deleted later, there was footage of Link running off the set, and about seven minutes of Rhett trying to carry a conversation on his own. Link had apologized profusely to Rhett and their crew for creating extra work for them, and that whole day, there was a falseness about everything anyone did.

Rhett could have lived through it if the memory of Link's lips wasn't still so fresh in memory; as it was, he managed to keep from flipping their desk over as they'd gotten the show over with, and kept his head as the workday went on. He even managed to research calmly with Link, although their work was also very silent.

Resuming their custom of carpooling to and from work (for a month, Link had insisted on driving himself), they shared an awkward ride home, unsure of what to say. Rhett hoped that with the dreaded episode behind them, some of his tension would alleviate, knew it was in vain by the way his stomach was coiled so tightly from simply being around Link. His friend had waved goodbye to him as he'd gotten out of the car, and had left quickly when Rhett found himself unable to respond. That was the first night that Rhett's insomnia hit.

He'd always had a difficult time falling asleep, but now there was nothing Rhett could do to shut his mind off. And eventually, his thoughts would pile up so high and weigh so heavily on him that he couldn't just lay there anymore. At night now, Rhett would creep out of bed after lying motionless, wide awake, for hours, long after Jessie had fallen asleep. He'd step quietly past the rooms of his sons, who knew nothing, and away from his wife, who suspected a lot.

In the mornings, when she found Rhett sleeping fitfully on the couch, she awoke him with concern. "What's wrong?" she inquired constantly now, her worry slowly giving way to frustration. He would look up at her blearily, words he didn't dare say out loud choking him, rendering him mute. This was something he could barely think about in quiet without falling apart, let alone share with his wife.

"Nothing's wrong, baby. I just couldn't get to sleep," Rhett would say instead, hating himself with every word. It wasn't a lie; there was nothing short of fatigue, or a baseball bat to the temple, that could knock him out now. She'd lean into him, brushing a kiss on his forehead instead, and say something about sleeping pills or not having coffee before bed anymore.

Then she'd walk off, pretending not to care when Rhett fell right back on his back and began to snore loudly.

After getting up at these odd hours of the night, Rhett would pace around the living room, his thoughts racing, but simultaneously, his mind felt blank. Sometimes he'd find himself sitting on the floor, tapping his fingers nervously, or staring at the television, not having realized he'd turned it on at all. He'd fade in and out of consciousness, sleep just within his reach, when something would jolt him back awake, make him scrabble for something to grab onto, something to throw, hold, scream into, anything.

Rhett's first impulse was always to call Link, tell him about the agony he'd been in lately, tell him that he knew now what it was to have the world you thought you knew yanked out from under you and torn to shreds by someone you love. More than anything, Rhett wanted Link to be there for him, by his side, and help Rhett find some way out of this mess.

But every time Rhett came close to making that call, and pouring his heart to the man he trusted with his life, those words Link had whispered to him would rise to the surface, pull Rhett back down under, and remind him that his best friend was the problem.

The worst nights, Rhett could feel tears forming in his eyes. He didn't cry much; Rhett couldn't remember the last time he'd ever really let loose and bawled. But the tears themselves terrified him, because he was afraid of what they meant. On these nights, he felt abandoned, like there was no one in the world who could reach him. On these nights, he almost broke down and woke Jessie up, desperate to share his sorrow with someone who cared. On these nights, he almost made that call to Link, certain that any awkwardness or tension this would drive between them wasn't worth feeling this way.

On these nights, he was almost able to give what he felt a name.

But these were few and far between. Mostly, for two weeks, Rhett spent his nights filled with self-loathing and helplessness. He was angry at himself for letting one drunken advance from Link turn him to dust. Rhett would experience short outbursts of fury, if not at himself, then at Link, for getting drunk to the point where he'd kissed Rhett and gave him a cryptic sentiment that left Rhett tongue tied and shaking if he even thought about it, so therefore he did not think about it.

Rhett was angry that this wasn't something he could laugh off, another funny anecdote they could tell their viewers. Had it been even remotely funny, Rhett wouldn't have kept it to himself; hell, he'd have jumped at the opportunity to tell Link once he'd woken up the morning after, tease the shit out of him for it. They'd been best friends for thirty years; this was hardly the first awkward experience between them. Most of those experiences had been shared with their viewers already, recalled fondly, if somewhat embarrassingly.

Somehow, beyond a doubt or two, Rhett knew that if Link just hadn't said anything, had kissed him and left it at that, Rhett could have woken up the next morning without a care in the world.

"What's wrong, Rhett?" Rhett and Jessie were getting ready for bed when his wife asked; she was relentless. After years of marriage, they'd both felt there was nothing they couldn't say to each other. There were no secrets between them, and the fact that Rhett was keeping them now hurt her. He regretted that, of course, and wished he could tell her what was wrong without giving this fixation of his weight. The last thing he wanted was to make this problem any bigger than it was.

If he just let himself obsess over it a while longer, then surely he'd never have to think about it again.

Rhett realized he'd taken too long to reply when Jessie finally said, exasperated, "I know you heard me. You can't be mute and deaf, Rhett." He looked at his wife, a reluctant smile on his face as he took in the loving expression in her eyes. Sure, she might have been annoyed, maybe a little angry, at the way he'd shut down. But Jessie cared enough to set that aside; she was concerned, and Rhett appreciated that as much as he wished she wouldn't be.

"I'm fine, Jessie, I told you," he insisted, turning away as he slid a nightshirt over his head. "Look, I'm sorry I keep getting up at night. I just can't lay still for eight hours anymore." He tried to make light of it, but even he could hear how weary he sounded. Rhett could tell that Jessie was about to call out his bluff, and she knew that he knew; marriage did that to people. She got up from the bed, stood beside him, and Rhett pretended not to notice how intently she stared up at him, turning away from her.

There was a beat of silence, and finally, Jessie asked, "Did you and Link get in a fight or something?"

Exhaling loudly, it took all of Rhett's strength not to collapse right in front of his wife. They might as well have been fighting, the way Rhett avoided his friend now. "Yeah, sort of. How did you guess?"

"It'd be hard not to, baby. You come home from work now looking like you're ready to either cry or punch something." Her tone was light, but Rhett could tell that her concerns ran deep. Jessie knew that she and Link fought for first place in Rhett's heart, but she had never minded. What she minded was not knowing that her husband had been hurt by his best friend, having to watch from a distance how much of a toll it took on him. "What was the fight about?"

Rhett gulped, trying to marshal his thoughts into something coherent. Something he could share with his wife without actually giving anything away. "It's...complicated. That night I stayed over at his house, he was really drunk. He...he said some hurtful things. And the in the morning, he didn't act like he remembered saying any of it. And it messed with me enough that I just started to avoid him." There; that was as close to the truth as he could get without telling her exactly what he'd said, not even mentioning what he'd done.

"Why didn't you just tell him that in the first place?" Jessie asked. In her mind, the solution seemed so simple, nothing that a frank discussion wouldn't solve. Rhett, meanwhile, didn't even know if there was a way to solve this, whatever this was. He ran a hand through his hair, inhaled, exhaled, take another deep breath and don't get upset, he thought to himself.

"It didn't seem worth making a fuss over." The misery in Rhett's voice was almost painful to the ears, and he rushed to try and cover it up. "I know he didn't mean any of it." Even as he said it, he could feel his throat close up and heat rush to his face. _But do I really know that for sure? _Rhett willed the thought away as Jessie pulled him to sit on the bed, taking a seat beside him, and he hoped his wife wouldn't notice the silent war he was waging, fighting against the thought that Link might actually have meant every word he had said to him before the alcohol claimed him.

Jessie kissed along his neck, and Rhett could feel a smile on her lips as she did so. He could even feel himself relax a bit more at her touch. "It's not good to bottle things up, Rhett. You'll just end up hurting yourself even more if you pretend you don't feel the way you do." Jessie turned his head so he could look at her properly, and whispered, "Promise me you'll talk to Link, honey. You have to get this out in the open with him."

Rhett pulled her close to him, pretended he felt better now. "I promise." He clung to her, his breath steadying as she returned his embrace. He felt the sudden and idiotic need to cry, forced himself to bite it back. Nothing was wrong, not really, and if there was something wrong, he would fix it. He'd wasted two weeks of his life keeping his wife and children at bay, despairing over something that wasn't true, over things that hadn't happened, and never would.

_It ends here, _he thought firmly to himself, leaning down to meet Jessie's lips. _Tomorrow, I'm going to put this to rest._

And still, at two in the morning, he couldn't help but get up again.

He'd come so close to nodding off, feeling the gentle stroke of Jessie's hand on his head as his eyes began to slide shut. And then she'd said three little words as she'd settled in herself, not knowing the effect it had on her husband; her eyes had already fluttered closed. He'd told himself that the jolt he'd gotten was all in his head, but as he enter his third hour of sleeplessness, he started his nightly cycle over again.

Rhett sank onto the couch, refusing to pace, telling himself he'd sit there and wait his restlessness out. The quiet of the house settled around him, and he would have given anything to have his kids run around, pelt each other with Nerf darts, just make noise. Noise drowned out the thoughts and memories in Rhett's head; it's how he had gotten through two weeks without sliding to the floor in defeat. As he had researched for future episodes, he'd drowned out everyone around him by blasting music through his earbuds, and it helped steady him. Rhett was even able to smile at Link as usual without worrying too much about how his friend would take it. And when it came to having to brainstorm with his friend, it helped to have music blaring in the background of their conversations.

There was no music now; just him and his thoughts.

He was tired of trying to run away from what was haunting him, the things that he could only keep away in the daytime, and which plagued him with formless fear at night. Rhett was determined that this was the last night he'd get up in the night, the final night where Jessie was worried about him. And if he was going to have it out with Link tomorrow, he had to know what he was going to say, or else he might just end up speaking nonsense and making a mess of everything.

So Rhett allowed himself to get run over by his memories, let every stray thought he could think of settle. But there was almost no thought tonight, only memory, and Rhett found himself recalling the almost adoring way Link had looked into his eyes as they'd both sat on his bed, the feeling of Link's arms wrapped around Rhett's neck, the surprisingly soft feeling of his best friend's lips against his own, and...and...

_I love you. I've always loved you. _

Somehow, Rhett had managed to keep the actual words at bay, never quite thinking them to himself at all. It had been difficult, especially the first few days, when he'd stare intently at Link's lips, terrified that those words would slip through again.

But all of a sudden, these were the only words that he had; his whole vocabulary fell away except for these few words, and even then, he couldn't make sense of them. In what context had Link's mind been in when he said that? It was a stupid question, since Link had been drunk. _I love you. I've always loved you. _

Of course, Rhett loved him too. They didn't typically say the words out loud, but they were always there, in their actions and in various other words. You didn't stick by someone for most of your life if you didn't love them with all your heart. Rhett had always said he loved him like a best friend, a brother, always something just shy of a partner.

But he couldn't lie to himself anymore, not with this swirling around in his mind, making all other thought or action impossible. No, Rhett had never seriously entertained the thought of being with Link, of living under the same roof as him as anything other than roommates, of crossing the line between friends and lovers.

Sometimes, however...sometimes Rhett felt color rush to his face as Link looked up at him, blue eyes twinkling in delight and a smile just for Rhett on his lips. Every now and again, as Link hugged him either for the cameras or out of overwhelming emotion, Rhett felt the sensation of never wanting to let go, the split-second thought of how perfectly Link fit against him flirting through Rhett's mind. Occasionally, Rhett had wondered if Link ever thought about him in a similar way.

A few times in his life, Rhett had felt the powerful, almost shameful urge to tell Link that he loved him, nothing provoking the need other than Link looking over from his side of the desk and smiling broadly.

But he'd always taken it in stride, never giving much attention to these moments, either as they were happening or in hindsight. He'd always thought it normal. Rhett was only human, after all, and it wasn't like any of this would ever lead to anything.

And all it had taken was a kiss from Link for Rhett to question if it had meant something else all along.

_Okay, so I've had some slightly less than heterosexual thoughts about my best friend, _Rhett thought sardonically, refusing to take any of it seriously even within his mind. _So what? Of course I have; I've known him for over thirty years; that's more than half my life. I think it'd be weirder if I didn't think about it every now and again. It just means that I care about him._

He sat there, arms wrapped tightly around himself, the memories petering out, until he was left only with a fuzzy image of Link, a smile ghosting on his lips and his blue eyes shining gleefully.

_Right?_


	7. Endings

Pulling up to Link's house the next morning, Rhett took another moment to look at himself in the visor mirror. The circles under his eyes were darker than they'd been before, and the eye drops he'd used barely hid the redness. Sighing, Rhett leaned on the car horn and waited for his friend to appear, practicing a normal "good morning" in his head.

Last night had been, undoubtedly, the worst night of his life, sleep-wise. Rhett had spent the better part of about four hours staring down at his hands, trying to control the shakiness. But this time, there were no in-between periods of semi-consciousness; Rhett had been alert to a point of pain behind his eyes. He had gotten dressed for work at five in the morning, three hours before his family got up and five hours before he had to pick Link up.

Even now, slumped over and looking like he was ready to drop dead, he wasn't tired. But it wasn't a good feeling; there was a desperation about him, this feeling that he'd do absolutely anything to be able to shut his eyes without something (but _what?_) yanking him out of his sleep again-

Rhett's knuckles had gone white as his grip on the steering wheel tightened. Slowly, he loosened his hands, exhaling deeply. _Calm down, _he thought, running a hand through his hair. _You're fine, damn it. Just keep your head, get through work today, and then you can talk to Link and put this madness out of your head for good. _He realized he'd been sitting there for a while, and Link had failed to appear. Rhett was about to press on the car horn again when Link's voice cut through the silence.

"I didn't ask for this divorce, Christy, and I sure as hell didn't ask for you to take the kids back with you to North Carolina!"

Rhett sat up, startled, to see Link storming towards the car, his phone pressed to his ear and his expression furious. "All I'm saying is that I haven't seen them in almost two months, so it would be nice if you'd bother bringing them with you so I could see them before we go to freaking _court!" _His friend stopped a few feet away, probably thinking that Rhett couldn't hear him, his expression growing darker with every word Christy was probably barking into his ear. "You and I both know that you're going to get full custody, so at least let me see the kids before you move them back to North Carolina for good!"

Rhett knew by now that beyond being heartbroken, Link was angry (an understatement) at Christy for the divorce. During his less reserved moments, Link had gone on tangents, all but cursing his ex-wife's name as he recounted his resentment. Of course, it always ended with Link sobbing about how much he loved and missed her, really.

This time was different. His fury, especially so early in the morning, terrified Rhett.

At that moment, Link looked up, and Rhett's breath hitched as their eyes met. Link seemed to realize how loud he'd been, because the next words Link spat into the phone were inaudible. Rhett ran his hand awkwardly over his lip, anxious about what to say to his friend once he was done with his phone call. He didn't have long to think, because not a minute later, Link was opening the door to the passenger seat, trying and failing to keep the annoyance off of his expression.

"Morning, man," Link said, his voice level. "Sorry you had to hear that; Christy decided it'd be fantastic to call as I was getting ready for work." Rhett, unsure of what to say, chose to say nothing, and started the car. "This is maybe the second or third time we've talked since she moved the kids and half our house to her property back home," Link continued, his voice shaking slightly. "And all I could do was try not to yell at her, which didn't work."

A brief silence followed, during which Rhett kept his eyes steadfastly down the road and Link stared out the window, brooding. Slowing down as they hit a red light, Rhett glanced over his friend. His piqued expression had faded, leaving a dullness to Link's eyes as he slumped dejectedly in his seat. Their eyes met, and they looked at each other intensely and for too long, before Link's eyes flicked away again.

"I'm okay, Rhett. Quit looking at me like you're afraid."

Rhett opened his mouth to state that no, Link wasn't okay, and that he shouldn't lie about how he felt, that it wasn't healthy. But somehow the words didn't come. He closed his mouth again, and they sat there until Link whispered, "The light's green, brother." Rhett hit the gas, still unsure of what to say to comfort his friend.

"Christy has property back home?" It was a stupid question, but they were the only words Rhett could find. Link didn't respond for a moment, and Rhett thought maybe he'd hurt Link's feelings with such a dumb question. But when his friend finally replied, Rhett was filled with pity in spite of himself.

"She'd been looking since last June." Link's voice throbbed with betrayal. "That's what all those weekend trips without me and the kids were for. She was house hunting in North Carolina."

The rest of the trip was silent. Rhett glanced over at Link once, expecting to see tears streaming down his face. His friend's jaw was tight, his eyes glazed and his breathing erratic. But he didn't cry.

* * *

Rhett admired Link, for his strength, even as he shied away and avoided Link where he could, tongue tied and helpless. They ran through that day's episode together, joking around and smiling. Link seemed to have put his bust-up with Christy behind him for now. Rhett was relieved that Link could get past the difficulties of his life a little easier now.

And he also envied him. Because as Link was finally starting to heal, Rhett was falling apart.

Too often now, Rhett stopped responding as the cameras were rolling, leaving Link to fill in the empty spaces. Today's episode was turning into one of those times.

In hindsight, he felt guilty, knowing more than anyone else that Link was still far from okay, and struggled to keep up a constant cheerful veneer for the cameras. But in the moments Rhett realized he'd let five seconds of silence go by, all he could feel was resentment towards his friend, who'd reduced him to almost nothing in the space of a few minutes, and couldn't even recall doing it. Let him try carrying almost an entire episode on his own; Rhett had done the same for a month as Link had been feeling sorry for himself.

Even after Link's exchange with his ex-wife that morning, when Rhett knew he should be open and comforting to his friend, he continued to hold back. Sitting at their desk, they were supposed to be showcasing a series of awkward family photos they'd found on the internet, making comments and jokes over each one. This was a familiar formula for an episode, and it should have been easy for them to get through it quickly. The only problem was that Rhett wouldn't-couldn't- cooperate, and Link couldn't exactly keep up a dialogue on his own.

As another one of Link's jokes fell flat, the brunette exhaled loudly, presumably out of frustration. Rhett attempted to think of something to say, but his friend beat him to it, asking abruptly, "Man, what's up with you today? This was your idea, and you're kind of being a doornail." His tone was innocent enough, but Rhett knew him well enough to sense the tension running underneath his words. Miraculously, Rhett managed to find a smile and a quip within himself. He almost sounded natural as he spoke.

"I never got that expression, you know. But maybe I'd be less of a doornail if your jokes didn't hurt to listen to."

Somehow, the awkwardness lifted a bit after that, and they were able to banter more easily, to Link's obvious relief. The blond hated the coil in his stomach as Link smiled directly at him, and took another long gulp of coffee to cover up his unease.

Finally, the main episode was over and done with, and after a round of verbal tennis about office supplies, Rhett felt himself relax a bit. Good Mythical More was for the really hardcore fans; he was comforted by the fact that he didn't have to work as hard to impress in the post episode.

Rhett wasn't quite sure how this would play out; they'd talked about describing their own awkward family photos over the years, but he knew it'd be hard for him to really contribute anything in his state of mind. His plan was to just let Link take over the whole GMMore, hoping it wouldn't go too badly, especially for the subject of the episode. He was about to ask Link about the worst photo his family had ever taken, hoping for a long-winded answer. Or at least, one that wouldn't make it obvious how Link's own family had more or less fallen apart. But again, the words wouldn't come, and he focused on not saying anything stupid as Link finished his thought. Then they fell into a brief silence.

Rhett gazed at his friend, feeling pathetic that he had to work up courage to talk to Link. It made him angry, which in turn made it even harder to come up with a coherent thought, let alone verbalize it. He turned away slightly, taking a sip from his mug as he did so, looking at their huge screen off to the side of the cameras. It was a habit he'd developed, one that came automatically, where Rhett would check to see if they would look alright to their viewers.

On the screen, he saw the tension on Link's face recede as the brunette seemed to come to a decision.

Looking directly at the camera, Link said, "You know, all this talk of families has me thinking about my divorce."

Rhett almost choked on his coffee at that. His head whipped left as his jaw sagged in shock. Never, for even a moment, had Rhett expected Link to speak openly about his divorce. Or that he'd bring it up so casually. Out of the corner of his eye, Rhett could see the crew visibly cringe, worried that they'd have a repeat of the day when Link had ran away in the middle of recording.

But Link, as he spoke, was surprisingly calm; his voice didn't even shake. "Mythical beasts, Rhett and I have taken note of your concerns. We've read the comments, seen your tweets, everything. And the truth is that I've had things going on lately that have made doing the show difficult. Not impossible, but difficult. And the truth is, I'm getting divorced."

An intense pause followed, and somehow Rhett managed to put his own personal turmoil aside; Link was vulnerable now, holding himself up for scrutiny, and Rhett had to let him know he could back out if he wanted to. He clasped a hand to Link's shoulder, squeezing, forcing Link to turn to him. _You don't have to do this, _he mouthed quickly. He searched Link's eyes, looking for signs of distress. Link's gaze was steady, and his voice, when he replied, was firm.

"It's okay, man. I….maybe they deserve to know."

Link kept his anecdote vague, not giving away any of the intimate details, choosing instead to focus on the state of mind he'd been in, apologizing for his poor performance in recent episodes. The entire time, he rubbed his hands together anxiously, taking a pause before every sentence, like he was afraid to give too much away.

Slowly, as Link struggled through his saga, Rhett felt the wall he'd built between himself and Link crumble even further, at least for the moment. He said nothing, except to whisper a quick "Are you okay?" to Link every now and again between sentences. Every time, Link would nod his head, take a deep breath, and continue. Rhett edged his seat closer to Link, to let his friend know he was there for him, and let him know Link could stop whenever he needed to.

But Link continued working his way up to the present, and Rhett kept his head bowed, knowing it would have been wrong to interject. No matter what might have gone down between them, despite what Link had said to him (_don't think about it, not now; he needs you, _Rhett thought forcefully_) _ the love he felt well up inside him for his friend didn't feel wrong or out of place; it was a love for a friend in pain, powerful and tinged with pity.

"And of course, I've had Rhett here to help me. I don't know what I would have done without him these past few weeks," Link concluded, taking off his glasses. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, muttering an apology as he did so. The bigger man, throwing all his previous cautions aside, wrapped an arm protectively around his partner, and Link leaned into him, resting his head on his friend's shoulder as Rhett wrapped both arms around him tightly.

"It's okay, brother. I'm here," Rhett whispered, clutching Link closer, praying that Link wouldn't notice the way Rhett's heart rate ramped up, especially when Link wrapped his arms around Rhett in kind.

They stayed like that for a moment, the brunette holding onto Rhett like he was afraid to let go. He didn't shed any tears that Rhett could see, but when Link pulled away to look at the blond in gratitude, the look in his eyes was so pitiful that Rhett actually had to look away.

The taller of the two looked up then, remembering that the cameras were still rolling, and felt his face heat up at the stares that greeted him. Feeling as though he'd been caught doing something wrong, Rhett slashed a hand across a throat, and the red light on the cameras blinked off.

* * *

"You didn't have to do that, you know," Rhett whispered as he and Link walked back to their office to brainstorm. At least, that's what Rhett had said they would do as he ushered Link away. He'd exchanged looks with Stevie as they left the room, and heard her telling the rest of the crew to leave the two friends alone for a while.

"I did, Rhett. It's been eating up at me, having this huge thing going on in my life, and keeping it from our viewers." He paused, considering. "It felt kind of good to come clean." Link looked up at Rhett, and to both of their surprises, Link was smiling. It was just a small smile, but after telling six million people about perhaps the most painful event in his life, Rhett found it remarkable.

And at the same time, he felt a dull kind of fury. "You don't owe them anything," Rhett said gruffly as Link opened the door to their office. Now that his friend's emotional piece was over, Rhett's unease came slowly trickling back, and he was acutely aware of the fact that they were more alone than usual in this room, with their crew hiding away from them, trying to give them space. He hated himself for the flood of emotions that started to creep in; now definitely wasn't the time.

Link sat down heavily on the couch, and said simply, "Maybe not. But I guess it's too late to second guess myself." He gestured for Rhett to sit next to him, and after a brief hesitation, he did, recalling how tired he was. They sat there quietly for a minute, each unsure of what to say, not looking at one another.

"We're probably gonna get a lot of comments about this, you know," Rhett observed, trying to fill the silence between them. Link nodded, but said nothing in reply. "Seriously though, Link," Rhett went on. "We don't have to post this. It's...it's kind of personal. Too personal. I don't want you to get hurt because of this. This might be all our fans can talk about for a while." Again, Link said nothing.

Finally: "Somehow I'm not bothered." His voice was flat. Then, after a minute hesitation: "Rhett...weird request, I know, but...can you hold me again?"

Rhett bit his lip nervously, feeling his face warm up and his stupid heart pick up the pace again. _It's a hug. Get a grip, _Rhett scolded himself.

_I love you. I've always loved you. _

"Sure, buddy. C'mere." He wrapped one arm around Link's shoulders again, and the other around his friend's torso, pulling him close. He smiled in spite of himself as Link relaxed completely inside the embrace.

"Thanks, man. This is weird, I know," Link said bashfully. His head lay lazily on Rhett's shoulder, and it amazed the two of them how natural it felt.

Rhett couldn't deny the pleasant warmth he felt with his friend pressed so closely to him, and slowly, he closed his eyes, relishing the moment even as he tried to tell himself that it didn't feel _that _good.

"You're okay, right?" Rhett said, his voice dipping low. He hadn't meant to say anything, but with Link here in his arms, Rhett's heart beating so hard, and the confusion of loving being so close to his friend clouding his mind, the words slipped out. He opened his eyes, his breath hitching as he saw that Link had curled onto the couch, his legs folded underneath him as he leaned against Rhett.

Exhaling deeply, Link whispered, "Of course I am. I have you by my side, don't I?" Rhett could almost hear the beatific smile in Link's answer. Link, probably unaware of it, nuzzled his head into Rhett's neck contently. He was in larger need of comfort than he'd led on, and Rhett was happy to oblige.

"Always."

Normally, and especially recently, Rhett was opposed to such touchy-feeliness. But the longer they stay like that, silent, the stranger it seemed to pull away.

They say in comfortable silence, and Rhett was reluctantly grateful to be left alone with Link. He felt a rush of remorse for ignoring him, and suddenly he wondered why he'd bothered in the first place. He belonged at his friend's side, no matter what. Even if Link...

_I love you. Yes. Yes, maybe I do. _

The thought came cleanly, with no muddled confusion, and Rhett let it sit there for a while, unconcerned.

But then the moment was gone, and he felt a coldness settle in the pit of his stomach, eyes widening in horror. Rhett was startled so much that he all but shoved Link away in his panic, getting up and taking a few steps away, his face averted.

_No. No no no, that's not right, _he thought, humiliated. Rhett felt his face burn, more so when Link looked up at him, dismayed.

"Rhett, what's wrong?" Link stood up, approaching with a hand extended to cup Rhett's arm, flinching as Rhett turned sharply away.

The lump in Rhett's throat felt like a brick now as Link stood before him, questioning and a little afraid. "Nothing's wrong, Link." Rhett's voice was grainy; it hurt to force the words out. Link made another move to touch him, hoping to coax an answer out of Rhett.

"You're shaking," Link observed quietly as his fingertips brushed lightly against his friend's. Rhett didn't move his hand away, biting his lip at the shock that went up his arm at Link's touch. Looking up, eyes wide and enticing, Link asked, "What's with you, all of a sudden?"

_No. No, this is wrong, _Rhett thought fearfully as his eyes met Link's. He felt suffocated, and like there was a vice around his heart. _This hurts. God, this hurts. _Rhett felt a physical ache all over, a pain with no remedy.

Link, his disillusioned expression unwavering, whispered, soothingly, "Talk to me." When Rhett said nothing, he added, "_Please._ You're scaring me."

"Link..."

_Say it. Say something. Say __**anything. **_

_God, Link, stop looking at me like that. _

_Jessie told you to talk to him. So talk!_

_No, I can't. How the hell do you talk about something like this?_

_I'm gonna be sick. I'm going to be physically sick. _

_I love him, I do love him. He's my best friend. But I don't...I can't..._

All of this flashed through Rhett's mind in an instant, and Link had just opened his mouth to speak when there was a soft knock at the door.

"Uh, guys? You okay in here?"

Eddie, embarrassment clear in his voice, knocked again, waiting to be told he could enter. Rhett exhaled loudly as Link turned to the door in frustration. "Just a sec, Eddie!" he called cheerfully, glancing up at Rhett, a question in his eyes. Rhett looked away quickly, relieved to be spared this conversation. For now.

"We're not done talking about this, Rhett." Link's voice was just a few notches above a whisper, but the intensity made Rhett flinch. "There's something you're not telling me, and I'm worried about you. Are you busy after work?"

Rhett wasn't, as it happened; Jessie had told him especially that he was free to spend as long at Link's as he needed. Link must have seen the lie in Rhett's face, because he said, "I thought not. Can you come over, then? Because Rhett, really, I-"

"Yes. Yes, I'll come over," Rhett interrupted, flustered. "Of course. We...we should probably get some extra work done today, anyway." As he spoke, Rhett felt like someone had reached out and twisted his insides with strong, cruel fingers. Link looked at him a moment longer before turning away to let Eddie in.

_I guess this is it, _Rhett thought miserably to himself. _This is where friendship ends. _He knew things wouldn't be the same tomorrow; he felt the thought settle in his mind like a tumor, one that would kill them both.


End file.
